Improvement in furnaces fob steam-boilers



IMROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR S'I'BAM-BOILllltS,` dac,

itt .tphulb nicht in in tipa who nioit mit making puri tf samt.

T0 ALL WHOM IT MAiY CONGRN:

i' Be it known that I, IINRY R. FooTE, of Oil City, in the countyof Yenango, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainvnew .and useful Improvements in Utilizing Fuel and Generating Heat in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that the lfollowing is a clear, full, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of'ths speciication, and to theletters of reference thereon marked.

My inventdn consists in arranging a retort'of novel construction in the furnace, Where it will be heated by the' combustion of the fuel of' the ordinary grate, and supplyingsaid retorttvwithsteamv tobe decomposed by being passed throngh'a mass of carbonaceous matter, highly heated, to `produce certain gases, to be therein lringlcd with air supplied by a pump or similar means, and' then burned as they escape from the retort into the furnace, thereby producing an intense heat, and at the Sametime assisting to'consu'mqthe gases evolved by thc combustionvof the fuel on the grate.4

Figure 1 is va perspective view of a furnace with my improvement applied.

Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 are viewsl of portions, shown more in detail, as will be hereinafter described.

Similar letters represent corresponding parts in di'erent iigures.

In fig.` 1` I .have-represented an ordinary steam-boiler and'ifurnace, with the side of the furnace broken away fofthepurpose of shcwingthe 'retort`A placed in position, 'as intended to beused. I construct a retort, A, of iron, hre-clay, or any suitable material, of the form preferably as representedin fig. '1, and as long as the grate-bars ofthe furnace in which it is: to be used. This retort is composed of a shell'having a lower 'compertinent, A', and an upper chamber or compartment, B', separated rby a longitudinal plate, S,'perforated with openingsa, es vshown in section in iig. 3. The rear end of the retortgis permanently closed, while its front end is provided with aremovable door, C, which is secured by a cross-bar, n, and setscrew o, as shown in g. 1, or by any similar means `fox.` rendering it gas-tight. l A pipe, F', is placed in the chamber A' of the retort, resting on the bottom, and 4having along each ofits sides a series of minute perforations, as represented in iig. 3. In th'eupper compartment B' is placed a similar perforated pipe, E', which is .located directly above the openings a in the plate S. The upper surface of the retort is perforated with a series of holes, in which is inserted a series-of burners, D, which consist of a stem to t the hole, and having a circular spreading disk at its upper end, as shown in ii'gs'.l 1 and, there being two or more V-shaped grooves in the sides of the stems, as shown in fig. 4,`to permit the gases to escape thereat. The retort being thus constructed is placed in the furnace, as shown in g; l, there being several'of them used in a large furnace, while in a small furnace a single retort may be used,"it"being placed at the centre of the grate, as represented in g. 5. When thus arranged the pipe F',

.in the lower chamber of the retort, is connected` by a pipe, E, with the steam-boiler, preferably at the dome if it have one. The pipe E', in the upper chamber B', is also connected by a pipe, E, with a reservoir, H, filled with compressed air by means ofthe air-pumps I through4 the pipe M, or any similar means; the pipes E and i F both being provided with stop-cocksand check-valves, as usual in such devices; a cock, Gr, being provided at the lower end of pipe F, also, to permit the escape of water formed bythe condensation of steam therein. vIn this case IA have represented the reservoir H as being supplied with air by means of two air-pumps I, connected at opposite ends of a crank-shaft, T, which is operated by an oscillating steam-cylinder, J, arranged to operate independent of the main engine. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of one ofthese air-pumps, I being the cylinder, K the piston or plunger, O the gland, and L the inlet-valves, It is, however, obvious that any other suitable means may be substituted for the airpumps, such, for instance, as a fan or blower, and that the same `may he operated by'coniiection with the main engine direct, without the use of a separate cylinder or engine for that purpose. The retort being thus arranged, and connected by pipe F with the boiler, and by pipe E'Awith the air-reservoir H, is then charged by filling its lower compartmentA with' anthracite or bituminous coal,

pharcoal, coke, or other carbonaceous matter, which may be done by means of its removable end piece O. This Abeing donekand the retort then closed, -the fire is lighted on the grate in the usual manner. As soon as'steam is generated in the boilerit is admitted through pipe F into-the lower chamber of the retort, which by that time will have become highly `heated with its contents. The steam escaping through the orices in the sides ofhthc lpipe F' will be brought into immediate contact with thelincandescent carbon, and thereby decomposed, forming hydrogen gas andcarbonic oxide gas, which will pass'thence up through the openingsa in partition S, into the chamber B above. Air is admitted through pipe E, from the reservoir H, into the chamber B at the same time, which not only forces the gases out through the grooves d. in the sides ofthe burners D, but'also supplies a fresh quantity of oxygen. The gases and oxygen thus mingled, and forced out through the grooves, impinge against the under side of the caps of the burners, which latter being heated very hot instantly ignite them, causing an intense heat directly under the boiler; and these burners D being raised several inches above the surface of the fuel on the grate, and the gases burning` with a strong blast and intense heat, serve also to ignite and consumethe gases evolved from the fuel on the grate, and which would otherwise pass olf with the smoke uueonsumed. By this means I not only utilize the fuel to a much greater extent than usual, but also prevent the formation and escape of smoke to a very great extent, if not entirely. When bituminous coal is used in the retort the volatile product is first driven oli` and consumed as it escapes, and when the mass is reduced to coke the operation of decomposing the steam is commenced, and continued as long as the carbonaceous matter remains in the retort. In all cases the retort is to be re-lled as often as necessary, that is, whenever the carbonaccous matter is consumed. Il' a very intense heat is required the reservoir I'I muy be partially llled with benzole or any of the volatile hydrocarbons; and as the air passes over or through it, a sufiicient quantity will be taken up and carried along to add great intensity to the dame; or the hydoearbon may be placed in the retort itself.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is

1. The combination, with a furnace, of the retort A, constructed substantially as described, when arranged to be used in connection therewith for the purposes set forth.

2. 'lhe combination and arrangement, substantially as described, of the retort'A within a furnace, and connected to the boiler by the pipe F, and with the reservoir "H, as described. y

3. I claim the admixture of air, by means of an air-pump or its equivalent, with the gases obtained from the decomposition of steam, by means of the heated carbon in the retort, before ignition, when used in combination with an ordinary furnace, substantially as described.

4. I claim the admixture of the vapor of hydrocarbon, in the manner described, with gases obtained from the decomposition of water or steam, in the manner described, for the purpose of generating heat in connection with the furnace of steam-boilers, substantially as herein described.

HENRY R: FO OTE.

Witnesses:

HENRY LESTER, Gao. L, TIFFANY. 

